Wildlife in Bristol : Wild Place Project
I love animals I would prefer to see them in their natural habitat, but this isn’t always possible so to think you can pop down the road and see some gorgeous animals is cool.
I have been wanting to visit the Wild Place Project in Bristol for some time and was excited to visit as part of my research for #summerinbristol a campaign that is being run by visit Bristol.
This park is a great place for families and a wonderful place to walk around in the sunshine. It was a hot summers day when we visited which is good as it is all outside, I might have a different feeling if it was raining and if it happens to be not so nice when you visit then make sure you have your waterproofs.
Arriving at Wild Place Project
The wild place project is easy to find I live in Bristol but not familiar with that side of town however I found it easily with my sat nav and it was sign posted as I got closer.
There is a large car park which is free, with disabled spaces so I managed to park close to the entrance.
You can get a local bus to the wild place project which is great if you are a local in Bristol or if you are staying in Bristol for a few days and want to explore by public transport. The number 1 and 2 buses from Central Bristol to Catbrain Lane, Cribbs Causeway. Click here for timetable info.
From the bus stop, it is then a short 10-15-minute walk on a safe pedestrian route to the entrance of Wild Place Project.
There was not a queue when we arrived and was welcomed at the kiosk. She didn’t have any information regarding accessible access to the park and pointed me to the information office and she also said they didn’t offer discounts to disabled or their companions, However when I checked the website they do offer a free ticket for carers so make sure you have this information if you are going to need a free carers tickets.
A standard adult ticket price for wild place is £12.50 but there are other options such as a annual pass, so do check online before your visit you can also get a discount if you purchase your tickets online.
They have animal experiences which are about £50 where you can be a keeper for the day or spend time with your favourite animals including giraffes, gelada, cheetah, lemur, okapi, and meercats. You can find out more information on the website
Is Wild Place accessible
Most of the attractions are outside and it was flat walking around however some of the trials are slightly too long for someone who can’t walk far.
I visited with my mum who like me has mobility limitations, but she cannot walk long distances, so we decided not to do the trials. I did see a couple of wheelchair users at the project and they allow guide dogs but they have to use a different route so they don’t go near some of the animal exhibitions and you can find more information on their website here
Animals at the Wild Place Project
There are not a vast number of animals they had giraffes, gelada, zebra, eland, cheetah, lemur, okapi, wolfs and meercats. I didn’t see any meercats or cheetahs on my visit not sure where they were hiding.
They have also just opened a bear wood in 2019 which has European brown bears, European grey wolves, Eurasian lynxes and wolverines unfortunately this opened after my visit so I might have to go back and see the bears.
I felt as though I didn’t get a full animal experience as the animals were difficult to see it was a hot day so they were trying to find some shade but the giraffes were quite a way from the viewing point so I only saw them in the distance. If you look closely at my photos you might spot the animals they are there honestly.
Some of the animal I didnt even get a glimpse of I love pigs and hogs there were a sign for two Red River Hogs but I couldn’t see them anywhere.
You could go inside the giraffe house if they were in there but they were hiding by a few trees from me bless them trying to cool down I guess.
There were lots of Guinea fowl walking around I have never seen one of these before at first we thought they were turkeys but they weren’t going gobble gobble however they did get pretty close to us and were walking around the park.
We also saw a squirrel running around. On the website there are warnings about the insects on the trials, I didnt do these but maybe have long sleeves and trouser if you are going to walk along these trials.
Other things to do at Wild Place Project
There are plenty of things to do outside with little ones such as walking around the trials and there are picnic tables and a café so you can take your own lunch which we did or have a snack in the café as well as a souvenir shop. There also were free toilets.
There was also a small play area for younger children.
The outside space is lovely here and as I said it was a sunny day when we visited and there was a nice fragrance coming from the flowers and plants.
The project is about restorations and you can see how they are restoring a point and there was also information about palm oil when we were walking around, I did learn things at the Wild Place Project.
I liked the bear statue collection they currently have I wonder if this was for the lead up to the new bear wood attraction, I hope it is there to stay as anyone who follows my blog will know I love having a selfie with a statue.
The leap of faith looked good for older children, I am not brave enough to do it but the gravity swing looked amazing.
It is a nice park if you are in the area or close by, I don’t think now it is worth travelling far distances to visit if you want the full wildlife experience but it is worth it for the learning aspect and the outside space.
However if they expand more in the future or you love a particular animal that they do have then do visit as it is not as busy as some of the wildlife parks in the UK in fact I visited on a weekday and it was a school day apart from a school group which was leaving as we arrived we particular had the place to ourselves.
